Electrical fitting



Aug. 21, 1928.

J. s. JONES ET AL ELECTRICAL FITTING Filed June 11, 1923 2 Sheets-$heet1 a Q 6 0 a, v

INVENTOR. d 7036 5 J. .ibrre;

famue/ M Mead Arrow/g.

Aug. 21, 1928.

J. S. JONES ET AL ELECTRICAL FITTING Filed June 11, 1923 2 Sheets-Shet 2INVENTOR. .fose il J. Jones war A TTORNZ Y.

Patented Aug. 21, 1928.

- UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE".

' rosnrn a JONES AND SAMUEL n. MEAD, .73., or BROOKLYN, NEW YORK,ASSIVGNORS" 10 CHAS. CORY &SON, INCORPORATED,

NEW YORK.

Application filed June 11,

electrical fittingsor fixtures. c

A principal object of the invention is to provide a newandfimprovedcombined lamp Our invention relates to improvements in c or plug socketandswitch.

Another important object is to provide a lamp socket or, analogouselectrical conneca completely oil and gas-tight, for the tion orfitting, in combination .with an oilandfgas-tighttbox or enclosure forcircuit connections or a switch.

Another object is to provide modifications and improvementsin doublepole switches of the type disclosed in the patent to Frank W. Wood, N 0.1,094,690, April 28, 1914-, and

1 particularly to adapt a swltch of that type invention are further.sufiiciently explained in connection with the following detaildescriptionqjof the accompanying drawings, which show one exemplifyingembodiment ofthe invention. Afterconsidering this embodiment, it willbeevident to per-- j sons skilledin the art thatinany variations may bemade within the principles of the invention, and we contemplate theemployment of any structures that are properly within the scope of theappended claims.

Figure 1 is a vertical section of an electrical fixture embodying theinvention in one form.

Figure2yis a horizontal. section through a the switch-box.

Figure 3 's a vertical section of thesocket,

. switch and operating mechanism in the plane ofthe switch rotor. axis.

of, Figure ,3.

Figure 4is asection of thesocketand plane at a right angle tothat switchina ,Figurefo is; aidetail section of the switch rotor in operativerelation to one of the movablecontacts- 3 1" v 1 A'socket body 1 ofsuitable insulating ma- 0] NEW YORK, 1v. 2., A conrona'rxon orannouncer. mcrzrme.

1923. Serial No. 644,627. I

terial, such as porcelain or other molded composition, is'provided witha'socket sleevei or housing 2 and a flanged base3. 'A'contact base 4,which in the present embodiment. of the invention is a switch base, ofany suitable insulating material, is 'asso-. ciated with the socket bodyand secured thereto by rivets or screws 5, the heads ofwhich arelocatedin sockets 6 in the'switch base and the'lthreaded portionsofwhich preferably engage in metallic members. 7, located in suitablesockets. in the base of the socket body. j

The contactfmembers in thesocketbody may vary in accordance with thepurpose for which the fixture is designed. In a preferred embodiment ofthe invention the socket portion of the fixture'is designed to. receivean electric bulb or a screw lug attached to an electric cord. Fort isurpose a metallic shell 8, screw threa'de' or pressed .to a thread-likeformation, is located within the socket housing 2 and preferably thiscontact shell is entirely free from the socket body and a is mounted on{the switch base 4. This mounting orattachment of the threaded shellconsists, in the}v present example, of screws 9 and 10 and.

nuts 11, the screws passing. through the" switchbase and throughinturned flanges of the "contact shell 8 and the nuts engaging below theflanges. A circuit connectionto the upper sideof thes'witch base isprovided by one of the fasteningscrews such as, 10, which passesithroughan ofl'set-portion 12 of a flat metal contact or conductor13 locatedontop of the switch base; A central socket contact 'member or button"14," formed as a part of a substantially U-.

" shapedmetallic' conductor '15' is secured by a screw 16 to theswitchbase, and this" screw, to provide a clrcu t connection, also passesthrough an offset portion 17 of a flat'meta'l contact member orconductor 18 located on top of the switch base. Desirably thebottom'fac'e of the switch base is provided with f a substantially-U-shaped r semi-circular flange19't0 enclose an inner part 15 of thecentral socket contact. e e ,p f The variousfcntttcts or ;metalliccondlib. tors so far described, are merelyrepresenta-Ii tiveof suitablecontacts or connection's which may be'provided invarious forms fordiffer-f ent adaptations ofthe combined socket and contactorgcircuit-connectmn devices. Ina preferred embodiment of the invention,however, and especially when it is adapted for a lamp fixture as in thepresent specific example, the insulating body 4 is not merely a contactor conductor base, but a switch base. and the conductors 13 and 18 areassociated with the movable switch members 20, two of these beingprovided, since a double-pole switch is desirable and preferred for manyreasons. Each switch member 20 is bent into substantially U-form at 21to provide a base portion 22 secured to one of the conductors, either 13or 18, by screws or rivets 23. At the other end each switch member isbent into U-form' at 2t to provide a contact member 25 adapted toyieldingly and closely engage a fixed contact or terminal 96, one ofthese being provided for each switch mem' her. The terminals or fixedcontacts 26 are secured to the upper or outer end of the switch base byscrews 27, which may serve at the same time as binding screws to securethe ends of conductor wires to the fixed contacts. Desirably the outwardends of the contacts are turned up as at 528 to facilitate the properelectrical connection between the contact members and the conductorswhen the latter are clamped down by the screws.

The movable switch members are operated by a rotor 30 of suitableinsulating material, which is rotatably mounted on a shaft 31, and theshaft is rotatably supported in brackets 32 having angular bases 33secured to the switch base by screws or rivets 31. The rotor isconnected to turn with shaft 31 with a suitable amount of lost motion,by a screw-pin 35 inserted in a threaded hole in the shaft, and locatedin a slot 36 of the rotor. The central portion 37 of the rotor in whichslot 36 is located may be substantially circular in cross section. Ateach side of it is a substantially oval or cam portion 38, the smallerdiametral width of which is such that when the rotor is in the posi tionshown in Figure 5, the switch members 520 spring upward and breakcontact between their ends 25 and the fixed contacts 26, to break thecircuit. Cam portions 38 of the rotor have, in line with their longeraxis, small flat portions or lands 39, so that when the rotor is turnedto a position at a right angle to that shown in Figure 5, one of thelands or flat portions 39 engages the corresponding switch member andholds the movable contact portions 25 yieldingly and firmly inengagement with the fixed contacts 36, to close the circuit. Thelost-motion device provides in a simple way an effective snap action toinsure quick separation of the contacts when the switch is opened. Asuitable handle and operating connection are provided as hereinafterdescribed.

When an electrical fitting or fixture of the present type is used in agreat many locations, for instance locations where oil or gas is presentand might cause fire or explosion by access to loose circuitconnections, it is dcsirable to provide a. housing which willsubstantially or entirely prevent access of oil or gas to suchconnections, and this is particularly desirable when the circuitconnections are. as in the present preferred cmbodinieut of ourinvention. in the form of a switch and sparks are usually drawn at theswitch contacts when the circuit is broken. For this purpose and also toprovide a secure and tight enclosure for the switch mechanism to preventit from mechanical injury and access of water or moisture, as well asgas and oil, and also to provide a suitable base or mounting for thecombined socket and switch or circuit base 4, the combined socket andswitch base is mounted on a switch box -10, which is usually of metal ofsubstantial thickness. This box has an upper or outer end wall 41 whichis desirably solid or entirely free from apertures, and a side wall orwalls 4-2. This side wall may be contoured to provide a box of anysuitable shape such as square polygonal orround, a round box beingselected for illustration, and in that case the side wall 12 is ofcircular cross section and is usually made of very substantialthickness. Opposite to end wall 41, the box has an inwardly projectingflange -13 surrounding an aperture 14 properly shaped to accommodate theswitch base 4, which is inserted in the aperture and the switchmechanism with its contacts and circuit. connections is then locatedentirely within the box. Flange 3 of the socket body lies below oroutside flange 43 and desirably a washer or gasket 45 of any suitablematerial, such as rubber or rubber composition, or of other suitablecompressible material which is impervious to oil it the fixture isexposed to oil, is placed between flange -13 and the socket llangc andthe socket flange is secured to the box by screws -16 passing throughsuitable holes 17 in the socket llangc and engaging in the box flange43. By setting these screws up tight an oiland gastight joint isprovided which eilectively prcvents access to the interior of the box ofoil, gas, or moisture.

Desirably the box has a cylindrical extension suitably threaded toreceive a glass globe 51 when it is desired to use such a globe toenclose and protect the lamp bulb 52, and the gasket or washer 45 ispreferably of a sufiicient diameter so that the inner end of the globewill bear against it and include oil or moisture from the interior ofthe globe. Desirably also the outward end of extension 50 is recessed toreceive the collar 51 of any ordinary or suitable globe protector 52. A.set screw 53 is also usually provided to secure the globe protector inposition.

Inc

i are not in use may be tightly closed, as by around the side wall ofthe box.

- stem, outside the switch box.

screw plugs '62. A conduit, such as 61, is usually inserted inalposition which is convenient for bringing the enclosed conductor wiresto the binding screws 27, as shown in Figure 2. It is usually convenientto provide four of the openings 60 spaced equally While any suitableoperating device having an exterior handle may be provided to operatethe switch, preferably improved operating mechanism is provided whichallows for any slight disalinement between the switch shaft 31 and theoperating mechanism; the operating mechanism is moreover designed sothat it may be conveniently located in any one of the apertures 60 andalso so that it may be tightly packed to prevent entrance of oil or gas.In the present embodiment of the.

invention, the operating device comprises a stem 70 passing through astufling box which comprises an outer member 71 screwed into one of theapertures 60 and an inner member 72 screwed into the outer member andarranged to properly compress any suitable packing 73 around thestem. Onthe inward end of stem 70 is formed or secured a jaw member 74, the jaws75 of which are located with slight clearance against any two oppositefaces of a square head 76 formed on oneend of the switch shaft 31. Aspring 77 located about an inner portion of stem 7 0 serves to take upunnecessary play and to hold the inward end of the stem against theouter end of shaft head 76. Any suitable handle or finger knob 78 issecured to the outer end of the The square head 76 and jaw member 74provide in effect a universal connection between the stem and the switchshaft, and allow for moderate disalinement of these members. Thedescribed operating device and connection provides in an obvious way forinserting and connectin the operating device to the switch shaft w enthe socket and switch 7 I body are attached to the switch box in anyofthe possible positions. a r The described construction and arrangementprovides for a complete and secure oil and gas-tight enclosure of theswitchmechanism so that oil or gas cannot get inside the box, and sparkswhich occur when the switch circuit is broken cannot ignite gas or oilin the neighborhood of the box. The provisionof a double-pole switch inthe present simple and durable form also renders the exteriorlyaccessible contacts (socket contacts) completely dead when the switch isopen. a

We claim:

1. An electrical fitting including a tubular body and a contact baseclosing one end of the body, said base and body of insulating material,the base carrying an inter-' nally threaded socket extending into thebody, fixed and movable contacts on the face of the base remote from thebody, the movable contacts being normally spring urged to open position,and a rotor journaled on the base above the movable contacts and havingcam portions to move the contacts to closed position.

2. An electrical fitting including a tubu lar body and a contact baseclosing one end of the body, said base and body of insulating material,the base carrying an internally threaded socket extending into the body,fixed and movable contacts on the face of the base remote from thebody,the movable contacts being normally spring urged to open position, arotor journaled on the base above the movable contacts and having camportions to move the contacts into closed position, a closed casinghaving a fluid tight connection with the exterior of the body, andmechanism extending through.

a wall of the casing for operating the rotor,

and having a fluid tight connection with said wall.

Signed at New York city in the county of New York andState ofNewYorkthis 6th day of June A. D. 1923.

JOSEPH S. JONES. SAMUEL N. MEAD, JR.

